


dog daisy.

by a_simple_potato



Series: dog daisy [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Attempt at Romance, Genderswap, Homophobia, Inequality, Internal Conflict, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, Past Abuse, Strangers to Friends to Possible Lovers, Transphobia, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-06-30 05:51:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19846924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_simple_potato/pseuds/a_simple_potato
Summary: Life isn't easy. An unfortunate encounter with an angry witch only makes Jungwoo's harder.(It's his fault, really)





	dog daisy.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has some triggering themes, so please, read the tags carefully and make sure you'll be okay with reading this. I won't use any extreme slurs, but in the cases of some characters, using disrespectful names is nearly inevidable.
> 
> Thank you to the prompter and I'm sorry I strayed quite far from your original prompt.

∆∆∆

This was not how Doyoung wanted his day to go. 

All he wished for was a peaceful day, maybe to go out with his husband and pick up some yarrow and coltsfoot from the local market.

Getting caught in a protest was not the plan. The said protest being anti-feminist and pro-life was definitely not an added bonus. The protestors screaming degrading things about women made the mood of the married pair sour even more.

The shorter of the two groaned, muttering. “Oh I swear to the spirits above, one of them is gonna get cursed and it's gonna be my fault.” under his breath.

“Please Yuta, we've talked about this. No cursing humans unless they truly deserve it.”

“Where is the woman's place?" Was screamed into a megaphone by the apparent leader of the march.

“In the kitchen!” 

Doyoung halted. “Yuta, you better hold me back because I am about to hex one of those fuckers and I'm not gonna even feel sorry.”

“Please do, you look,” a cheesy wink, “Hot when you're angry.”

“You shouldn't be enabling me!”

“Okay but get this: I want you to hex them.”

The leader of the protest shouting “Rape victims are lying!” was the last drop in Doyoung's cup.

“Oh that's it, fuck the rules of the Society of Magicfolk, I'm hexing these assholes! _Loitsimista sinumaile, nõidus langemaie, mehepojast neiukene, poisikesta tüdrik saab,”_ Doyoung's eyes glowed a deep emerald and a beam of blinding green sent a member of the group flying to the air. His body landed with a soft thump on the hard pavement.

People crowded around the young man. One of them turned around with a horrified face: “What the fuck did you do to him?”

Doyoung's answer came in the form of a sickly sweet smile: “You might want to think about reconsidering your choice of pronouns, dear.”

In the middle of the small crowd, a young girl, maybe in her early 20’s rose up. Gasps were heard. 

“You fucking witches, this is why we have marches like this!” "See, that's why we say witches pose a threat to humans!" "Fucking 

“Jungwoo. Come. We're leaving.” a woman grabbed the hand of the young girl and then turned to the witch couple, “I will contact law enforcement and you will be punished for disturbing an event of free speech.”

∆∆∆

“Jungwoo. What did that fucking witch do to you?”

“I- I don't know, Minji. I just blacked out when the curse hit me and now I look like a fucking woman.”

“How are you going to get back? I couldn't live with someone like you under my roof, it's disgusting.”

“Fuck, I don't know? Maybe it'll wear off? I hate it just as much as you do, dear.”

“Don't call me that when you don't look like yourself.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's fine, just,” the woman shook her head in disappointment, “don't call me pet names while you look like a girl, it's disgusting.”

“Okay,” Jungwoo’s eyes drop to the ground, “Can we just go and sleep and maybe I can sleep it off?”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, I'll take the couch. Just go to bed, I don't want to see you like this.”

∆∆∆

“Hey, Doie. You looked really hot when you cursed that dude.”

“Thank you. Looking hot is a burden I have to live with,” a pause, “Yuta. That better not be your hand in my back pocket, groping my arse.”

“And what if it was?”

“Honey, I don't share your kink for exhibitionism,” Yuta gave the younger man a pout, “We are not going to have a makeout session in the middle of a subway station, have some decency, for Lord's sake!”

Yuta's pout deepened, making the older look like a kitten. 

“Besides, I have something prepared at home,” Yuta visibly perked up, “That and you also get jealous if anyone stares at me and if we're gonna kiss eachother raw, people are gonna stare.”

“Oh my God, Doie, you absolute genius! Please marry me!”

“Yuta, dear… we've been married for five hundred and eighty-six years now.”

"It's never too early for the eightieth engagement." The older pouts.

"Fair enough."

∆ ∆ ∆

Jungwoo groaned in pain. It felt like a thousand knives being pushed into his stomach and back. Agony. He sneaked into the bathroom, not wanting to disturb Minji, as his girlfriend already seemed pissed enough with the way Jungwoo's body looked. Fair enough, he himself was very unhappy with the female body and his girlfriend not even willing to look at him. He opened the bathroom cabinet. Fuck. There were no painkillers left. 

He left the apartment, headed towards the 24h convenience store down the road, with hopes that they would have at least some sort of painkillers or he wouldn't survive.

...

“Someone like you really shouldn't be out on the streets at four am, it's dangerous out here, you never know who or what you might stumble upon”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me the first time. It'd be foolish to think that only humans find dark nights and narrow alleyways fascinating, especially when y'all aren't even aware of what might be hiding in them.”

“Please move out of the way, I really have to go to the-”

“The store at the corner of the 23rd and 56th street, right? Sorry to disappoint, you won't find any painkillers there. Oh, and your cramps won't be resolved with a simple ibuprofen, curses take a lot more to get rid of. Lucky for you, you have met a top-grade herbologist who can help you.”

"A what now? Why do you know this? I will call the police if you don't leave me alone!"

"I already told you, I'm a herbologist, the name's Jaehyun if you must know. As for how I know it? A friend of mine is very interested in gossip and Doyoung rarely curses anyone. Put two and two together. And please," a bored look, "you aren't naïve enough to think that the police care about a girl at night, are you?"

Jungwoo looked confused.

"Let me make it simple for you: the police don't give a single shit about women's safety in this part of the city, especially at night. Your safest bet is to just go home."

Jungwoo looked slightly ashamed: "I- I didn't know that…"

"Not blaming ya', most people don't. The only way you'd know this is if you had business roaming around here at night. You clearly don't. Go home if you want to live"

Jaehyun turned around and walked into an alley.

"Wait! What did you mean by you can help me?"

Jaehyun backtracked and, with a small smile tugging up a corner of his lips, put a corked vial of hazy lilac liquid into Jungwoo's hand. 

"Drink it. It tastes like shit but I swear on the spirits above, it gets rid of the cramps, even if only for a few hours. Still better than nothing."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. I just have no incentive to have you dead."

Jungwoo responded with a small scoff: "That's not very reassuring"

"Cuz' it's not supposed to be," Jaehyun deadpanned. "I do recommend that you buy some pads too, you're not getting rid of that curse anytime soon. Unless I deem you worthy of my time, of course."

"What?" The confusion was evident on Jungwoos face.

A blank look from Jaehyun. "Jungwoo. Your body is now equipped with all female features, including bleeding out of your newly-grown vagina every month. If you ever happen to need more magical painkillers, I suggest you drop by _The Millefolium_ , I'm sure Kun would be delighted to give you some. If that's all, I'll be taking my leave now" Jaehyun gave the younger an ironic bow and turned on his heel, the baize coat swishing at his feet, and disappeared into the alleyway.

∆∆∆

Jungwoo inspected the vial of liquid the man had given him. It seemed to be a potion, of sorts. _"Obviously, you stupid cunt, what else would it be."_ Minji's voice sounded in his head. The lilac concoction seemed to have a mind of its own, swirling inside the vial and creating mesmerising patterns. Forgetting his worries and thinking nothing better of it, Jungwoo gulped it all down. 

Jaehyun was right. It did taste like shit. Not in the literal sense, but it was bitter and stung while going down his throat, not to mention the aftertaste left in Jungwoo's mouth. It was something so uniquely vile that Jungwoo couldn't even put it to words. It tasted unlike anything he had ever drank before, which seemed about correct, considering Jaehyun was probably a witch.

 _Huh_. Jungwoo was surpised at his relative calmness at the very possible realisation. Then again, the pain in his back and stomach started ebbing away and his vision got softer, edges of the bathroom cabinets blurring together, so the calm feeling might've been a side effect of the lilac concoction. 

Jungwoo pushed himself up and stumbled to the bedroom, desperate to have a bed underneath him before he passes out. As soon as his head hits the pillow, the doubt settles in every corner of Jungwoo's mind.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have drunk it after all, Minji's gonna be so pissed, especially if Jaehyun is an actual witch._ Fuck. _I really shouldn't have trusted him so blindly. But witches aren't inherently bad, right? Snap out of it Jungwoo, don't fall into the witches' trap, that's what they want you to think._

_…_

_"Witches are a flaw of nature! Practicing magic is the biggest punishable crime known to man, and the sinners will pay in Hell! Only thing more morally crooked than a witch is a skirter." The preachers voice boomed throughout the chapel._

_"Mom, what's a skirter?" A young boy, barely four questioned, big brown eyes looking towards his mother._

_"Be quiet, Jungwoo!" The woman whisper-yelled._

_"A skirter is a person that lives on the outskirts of the city, near where the witches live," a girl, maybe eleven or twelve whispered, "they are humans but do witchcraft just like witches do."_

_"You're so smart!" Jungwoo looked at his big sister in astonishment, "you must know everything!"_

_"Jiwoo! What have I told you about speaking when not asked to? You're a young lady, you should know proper manners by know. You are a bad influence to your brother and you know it." Jungwoo's father didn't even have to raise his voice to make it clear that he was disappointed. Turning to Jungwoo, he quietly said. "The skirters are your worst enemy. They're indistinguishable from your regular humans but don't be fooled, they are as much witches as the real ones. Their only goal is to curse normal people and to rule over us."_

_"But dad, no sane person would curse others!"_

_"That's the thing, Jungwoo, they're insane yet think they're better than us," a coarse smile. "They're the scum of this earth, should be put into mental asylums for their delusions."_

_…_

_Jungwoo sat in one of the reading chairs in his father's library. The dark green leather was cold and uncomfortable against his bare legs. It was very hot and humid, even inside the room, but Jungwoo didn't dare to open the window._

_He couldn't deny that he was slightly scared, the only time he was allowed to go to the room was when his father wanted to scold him or explain why something was wrong. And even then it was less allowing and more his father demanding him to go to the library._

_His father entered the room and closed the door with a sharp click. He sat in the chair opposite Jungwoo's and eyed the young boy with concern._

_"Jungwoo… your mother and I, you see, we're worried. You don't have any friends your age."_

_"Not true! Yeojin is seven too!" He pounded. "And Hyejoo and Chaewon are my friends too! So you have no reason to worry!" He announced with a bright smile._

_"That's not what I meant. You need to have friends who are boys. If you keep playing with the girls you're not going to become a strong man. You shouldn't be friends with girls. That makes you weak. And you want to grow up into a strong man like your dad, don't you?" He asks, ruffling Jungwoo's hair._

_"Of course, dad!" His face falls. "But Yeojin is my best friend…"_

_"I told you, didn't I? You shouldn't be friends with girls or I'm gonna think you're one of those gays. And we know what God thinks of them." His father's stern gaze lands on Jungwoo._

_"That they're bad," he gulps, "and freaks of nature, just as horrible as witches and skirters."_

_"Yes, good boy. Now run along, I have work to do." His father waves Jungwoo away and he doesn't waste time in leaving his father's office._

_..._

_The Kim family was having dinner, all four of them around the dining room table. The air was thick with tension, probably the result of today's church visit, Jungwoo reasoned, Jiwoo hadn't been on her best behaviour. Only the clicking of silverware could be heard, until his father decided to pick up the undiscussed topic._

_"Jiwoo. I don't approve of your friendship with Sooyoung. Her parents are from the Mygelow district and you know how we feel about skirters in this house." Jungwoo knows that voice very well. The guilt-trippy disappointed tone is something his father is a master of._

_"Yes father, I do know how you," she emphasised the word, "feel about the Praenatat. Regardless, I fail to see the fault in my friendship with Sooyoung. Or Chaewon and Hyejoo for that matter." Jungwoo was impressed at the amount of venom her sister put into her words._

_"They are a bad influence to you." It was evident father's patience was running short._

_"Bad influence how, exactly? Because they don't see magicfolk as the scum of the earth as you do? Don't make me laugh, they've taught me more than sixteen years of church ever have." Her tone was defiant, and she sounded sure of herself._

_"Not at the dinner table, Jiwoo!" Their mother shouted, sounding exasperated. "You should have some manners, it's not right for you to stand up against your father!"_

_..._

_"Father. How many times must I say that I don't want to go to church anymore? I'm tired of listening to the epistles the preacher tells. I spend every Sunday hearing complete horseshit I don't even believe in. The witches have done nothing for us to hate them! If anything, they have the right to hate us, we imprison and kill them every chance we get, do you really-"_

_"Quiet, Jiwoo!" Jungwoo flinched at his father's loud voice. "You have no right to raise your voice against your father! Your friends are putting stupid ideas in your mind again, I forbid you from seeing them! You are grounded and that's final."_

_"You have no right to ground me, father." She spits out the word like it's poison. "In fact, you legally have no rights over me."_

_She turns to Jungwoo with a sad smile, but there's fire burning in her eyes, as she mouths. "I'm sorry."_

_"I've thought about this a lot, probably more than I should have. I'm leaving. I can't bear to be in this hellscape I'm forced to call home. I have no reason to stay here." She announced, voice strong and full of power._

_"And what, you think you can have a life without my income?" Their father scoffed, "Don't be stupid Jiwoo, you're setting yourself up for failure."_

_"Did you know I've had a duffle bag filled with absolute essentials for months now. Did you know I took extra credit classes to finish high school early? Did you know I already have a job that can partially pay for the rent of a two-bedroom apartment? Did you know that I have a spot in the University of Escalence since last year, on a scholarship? Did you know any of that?" Jiwoo's gaze was unwavering and her voice calm. Their father was rendered speechless, for once in his entire life._

_"I doubt you did. After all, I'm just a girl who can't do anything, aren't I?" Her piercing stare was directed at her father._

_…_

_"Jiwoo… " Jungwoo trailed off. His older sister hugged him tightly, whispering. "I'm so sorry, Woo, I just… couldn't live in here anymore," she squatted down to Jungwoo's eye level. "Your sister will always be here for you, okay? You know where to find me."_

_She moved to her crying mother. "I'm sorry for leaving you and Woo here, alone, to deal with father," she looked into her eyes. "Though I doubt you see it that way. Thank you and goodbye."_

_Lastly, she moved to her father and looked him square in the eyes. "I pity you," Her eyes were devoid of emotions, the tone of her voice making it seem like a simple fact of life. "And I hope you lead a good life, since mother and Woo shouldn't suffer."_

_She walks towards the door, stops, and then turns on her heel, sending his father a sickly sweet smile. "If you didn't hate me before, you surely will now, but at this point, I don't even care. I'm a lesbian."_

_"That fucking Sooyoung is always pushing sins upon you I knew she was bad influ-" he gets cut off by Jiwoo._

_"Actually, dear father of mine, her name is Jungeun and she's been my girlfriend for nearly two years now." She turns around and walks out, the soft thumps of the door opening and closing sounding through the house._

_"Jungwoo," his father turns to face him. "Under no circumstances are you allowed to see Jiwoo or any of her misfit friends. You will be punished if you fail to obey my words. Understood?"_

_"Yes, dad." Jungwoo nods._

_…_

_"Jungwoo. What did I tell you about Jiwoo?"_

_"Not to see her?"_

_"Yes. And what did you do?"_

_"I went to see her."_

_"Not only that, you disobeyed your father's command. That is intolerable. My office, now. And you're not leaving before you've pleaded for forgiveness from God for your wrongdoings," His father's voice was angry and filled with disappointment. "I expected better from you. You should be responsible and reasonable. And what Jiwoo did is one of the highest sins. I don't want my only son to go down the path to Hell too."_

_"Yes, father." Jungwoo bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut, to keep the tears from falling out._

_…_

_**3:45 pm** _

**_chuuwoo:_ ** _hey_

_**chuuwoo:** where are you, you told me you'd be here at 3, im getting a bit worried_

_**snoowoo:** hi_

_**snoowoo:** im so sorry ji i_

_**snoowoo:** im not gonna come _

_**chuuwoo:** hey it's okay we can just reschedule no big deal_

_**snoowoo:** no i mean like, ever. dad's putting so much pressure on me and i just can't keep sneaking away. and he gets so pissed at me every time he finds out i saw you again i don't want to repent every time i see you im so sorry ji i just can't live like this_

_**chuuwoo:** i could plead for legal ownership of you, you don't have to live with them woo we can figure something out_

_**snoowoo:** i love you so much jiwoo please know you're the best person i have ever known but i can't just leave you know i can't _

_**snoowoo:** it's easier if i just never contacted you again, for the both of us_

_**snoowoo:** im sorry I love you so much_

_**chuuwoo:** jungwoo, i, we can do something about it, it doesn't have go that way _

**_Message not sent._ **

**_You can no longer send messages to this person. You have either been blacklisted or blocked._ **

_…_

"Jungwoo! Mind telling me why there's a glass vial in the bathroom?" Minji's voice rang through the apartment, waking Jungwoo.

“What?” The words didn't register in Jungwoo's freshly awoken mind.

“There’s a glass vial on the counter and it looks eerily similar to a potion bottle," Minji turned towards Jungwoo, who had made his way to the bathroom. "Oh great, you still look like a woman. Can't believe I have to live with someone like you. Anyway, there's a potion bottle in this apartment that we didn't have yesterday. What did you do last night?"

"Uh," Jungwoo raked his brain for a fitting answer. "I'm pretty sure we had this bottle before, it's a vase for when you're travelling and don't want your flowers to die." 

Jungwoo prayed to God that Minji wouldn't see through his lies. The other squints her eyes, disbelief wafting off of her, but decides to believe her partner.

“Fair enough. Still doesn’t explain why it’s on the counter.” She prods further, as if she’s hoping Jungwoo slips up. 

“Oh that? I was just going through the cabinets to find some painkillers, I had a huge headache yesterday night.” He wasn’t exactly lying, just… omitting the whole truth. The answer satisfied Minji and she left for the closet.

“Woo, you don’t plan on going to classes like that, do you? Imagine what the others would think of me, of you,” Minji shudders. “The last thing I want is for the whole campus to think I’m dating a girl.”

“I- I really don’t know. I don’t have any classes today,” he shrugs. “So that isn’t a problem. And my Gen. Law classes are big enough so nobody has to know it’s me. I promise I hate it as much as you do. I think I’ll just stay home today and see if the internet knows how to get rid of a curse.”

Minji scoffs. “You sound awfully relaxed about it. I guess I’ll just leave you to your own devices then. Don’t expect me back before nine, I have dinner with the debate club.” She closes the front door with a sharp thump.

 _Something’s missing._ Then it clicks. _She didn’t say “I love you” like she usually does. “Well if I were her, I wouldn’t love you either,”_ his mind (un)helpfully supplies. _“You’re literally like one of those trans people, you think anyone could love you when you look like that?”_ He ignores the voices in his head and moves to grab his laptop when he remembers the conversation from last night. _"I suggest you drop by The Millefolium,"_ the man, Jaehyun had said. He decided to trust Jaehyun once more, despite his mind screaming against the thought. After all, the weird concoction did take away the pain. He pulls up the location of _The Millefolium_ on his phone and after taking a look, is understandably surprised. _Huh. Why would Jaehyun tell me to go to a café for painkillers?_ Ignoring the thought, he leaves the apartment and follows Maps towards the supposed café.

∆∆∆

“How are you not tired yet? It feels like we’ve been walking for twenty minutes now!”

“Calm thyself, Markiepoo, we’ve gone up three flights of stairs, this is nothing.”

“To you, yeah, mister Jung ‘I go to the gym every day’ Jaehyun, not to me,” a heave. “I’ve known you for four years and I still don’t get why you have to, every single day, may I add, eat your lunch, thirty goddamn meters above the ground, while your feet dangle off the roof!”

Jaehyun chuckles. “Well, Mark, I like the-” he gets cut off by Mark’s exasperated yell. “Don’t tell me you like the view! I know that much! It’s just … No sane person would ever walk up eight flights of stairs every day just for a nice view.” A pointed look and a raised eyebrow from Jaehyun. 

“Hey, it’s different for Jaemin! He’s a photography student who specialises in city landscapes, not a rooftop fanatic like you! Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I didn’t even mention Jaemin,” a smug smile. “You are so fucking whipped, Mark.”

“Hmph. So what? I love him.”

“Nothing, nothing,” Jaehyun opened the door to the roof with a small smile. “Both of you are just so cute, tiny youngins in love.” 

“You say that if you aren’t just two years older. Anyways, you usually come here alone, so why did you drag me along this time? I doubt it was just to smell the,” Mark sniffs the air and scrunches his face in displeasure, “bird shit. Dude, how do you smell fine when you come back from here?”

Jaehyun threw his head back in laughter. “No, sniffing bird shit wasn’t in my agenda today. As for the smell, you know, just hashtag witch things.” 

“Oh please, you’re one of the,” Mark mustered up his best French accent, “ _Qui Praenatat_ , not a witch.”

“Please, shut up. _Qui Praenatat_ is from Latin and I really don’t know why that’s a term we use. But that’s not why you’re here. You heard about that unfortunate fella who got cursed by Doyoung?”

“Of course I did, you don’t have to be a Natate to know about it. The old ladies at the market love that magical gossip, it’s impossible not to hear about it when you’re walking from the Ostellow dorms down to the liberal arts building.”

“That’s good, one less thing to catch you up on. So, I was just at Mill’s, drinking some tea and talking shit about prof. Quincy with Sicheng when Chenle ran into the shop and started rambling about what happened and then I got an idea. Y’know how I always wanna test my skills in potionmaking?”

“Yes Jaehyun, I do know about your ‘I need to prove myself’ complex, it’s not like you haven’t told me about it six thousand times.”

“Anyways,” Jaehyun continues on, pointedly ignoring Mark’s jab at his ego, “I thought ‘what better way to test my skills than to attempt reversing a curse, made by a wizard who has centuries more experience than me’ and so, I seeked him out last night, did the whole mysterious wizard schtick and gave him PSWI version 23. I even used that black coat that looks extra magic-y.”

“Why. Why would you give a regular human PSWI, it knocks them the fuck out.” Mark sounded tired. And he was well within his rights to feel tired, anyone would, if they had a 23-year-old witch apprentice with reckless tendecies as their best friend. 

“I admit it may have not been the smartest decision I’ve ever made,” Jaehyun reluctantly agreed. “But if things go right, and they will, he’ll go to Mill’s today and Taeyong will get some answers out of him as to what I can adjust with the potion. And if he wants to, he’ll get some of Kun’s painkillers.” He finishes off with a bright smile.

“Cool beans. Hoping your confidence pays off. Don’t come crying to me if your master plan fails though.”

“It won’t fail, I’m the youngest and only non-magical apprentice under Qian Kun, I have more than enough reasons to be confident in myself. And the behaviour of people like him is so easy to predict. They hate witches yet come and plead help from us, tail between their legs when they need help.”

“Fair enough,” Mark grumbles, shoving a meatball in his mouth. “So you’re really doing this to prove yourself and not because you have a personal attatchment to the dude. Huh. Who woulda thought.”

“Yeah, no, I really couldn’t care less about the guy. But it sure is interesting how Doyoung got so riled up he cursed someone.”

“Dude, tell me about it, I would’ve expected it from Yuta, but not Doyoung.”

The chatter fell to a stop and both boys dug into their lunches.

∆∆∆

**Author's Note:**

> I thought that making this a chaptered fic was a better idea than rushing the ending, I hope you liked it!


End file.
